The Redacted Job
by magickmoons
Summary: It's challenging being rescued by people who can't really know what they're rescuing you from.


**The [Redacted] Job**

 **Genre:** crossover, drama, action  
 **Ship/Characters:** Jack/Daniel, Hardison, Parker, Eliot, Sam Carter  
 **Summary:** It's challenging being rescued by people who can't really know what they're rescuing you from.  
 **Notes:** This was written for the 2017 Jack/Daniel Ficathon. My prompt was 1. season 7 or later  
2\. include some aspect of the Stargate Program being secret (covering up or non-disclosure agreements or declassification or…)  
Optional Request: crossover (SG Atlantis, NCIS, Teen Wolf, The Losers, Generation Kill, Leverage)

* * *

 **The [Redacted] Job**

They weren't hitting him anymore. At least he was pretty sure they had stopped using their fists. It was hard to tell when everything hurt constantly, but the pain was different when it came now: sharper, more focused. He was dimly aware of Jack's voice coming from somewhere behind him, angry and desperate. That was wrong; Jack shouldn't sound desperate. Not here, not now. In their bed, skin slick with sweat, cock hard and leaking, pleading beneath him. That was the only time desperate sounded good on Jack O'Neill. And it sounded damn good.

"Are you amused, Dr. Jackson?" Another stabbing, sharp pain - he'd felt this before - yanked Daniel out of his pleasant fantasy. We've got all the time in the world to wipe that smile off your face."

That wasn't Jack. That was the guy asking the questions. If they'd been introduced, the memory of the name was lost under the smell of blood and the throbbing pain. Daniel had lost track of the questions, but that wasn't a problem, since they weren't directed at him anyway. The questions were for Jack, but Jack wouldn't answer. Couldn't answer.

Couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't.

Lives depended on Jack's silence, he reminded himself as another shock of electricity lit his neurons on fire. Jack's shout of protest mixed with Daniel's hoarse groan. How the hell had they even gotten Jaffa painsticks on Earth? Homeworld Security had really fallen down on the job since Jack had left. They should really talk to somebody about that. Just as soon as -

"Let's try this again, General." The cycle was starting over - questions met with snark equalling pain - but Daniel could feel the encroaching blackness as his body declared it had had enough. He chuckled to himself. Their interrogators might have all the time in the world, but they were going to have to play without him for a little while.

***SGC***

Voices and pain.

Daniel suppressed a groan as consciousness washed over him. The voices were hushed, urgent, unfamiliar. The pain, however, was all too familiar - muscles stretched beyond capacity, aching jaw, a burning gash across his upper arm, as well as a couple of ribs bruised (maybe cracked), and a residual aching buzz that spoke to some sort of energy weapon - although it had been a few years since he had felt anything like it.

He hadn't missed it. To distract himself, he searched his memory for what, or more likely who, had caused the pain but couldn't pinpoint any immediate context. He breathed slowly, waiting for his memories to clear.

The voices were getting closer, and he tried to relax enough to pass as unconscious. A door opened slowly. Closed softly.

" ... and stop checking your damn tablet thing, Hardison. You already said there's no signal." Daniel automatically started cataloguing the new arrivals. This one was male, annoyed, and slightly distracted.

"Well excuse me for being concerned that we have no connection to the outside world, Eliot. Something goes wrong in here, we are on our own. And don't take your frustration out on me. Just 'cause you haven't run into anyone to play Mr. Punchy with."

"Guys, look." That voice was female, startled.

The others fell silent, and Daniel felt the combined weight of multiple gazes on him.

"Is he dead?" Her voice was a strange mix of mildly concerned and curious, and it was closer than Daniel had expected, given that he hadn't heard her move.

"'m not dead," he mumbled. "Trust me, I should know." With effort he really didn't feel like expending, he forced his eyes open to find a slim blonde almost nose to nose with him. Her head tilted as she slowly reached a hand toward him and poked his shoulder.

"Ow," he said pointedly, although it didn't actually make any difference to his pain level.

"He's not dead," she affirmed, then narrowed her eyes. "Unless he's a ghost."

Behind her, her two companions rolled their eyes, speaking simultaneously.

"Parker! Would you just leave it!"

"Woman, I told you, there's no such thing as ghosts."

"But that guy earlier. He was there, and then poof!" She spread her hands enthusiastically. "Gone."

Daniel closed his eyes, wondering if he could be unconscious for just a little longer. He was definitely not up to improvising a cover story for whatever these people saw - holograms, beaming tech, personal shield device. The list was getting too damn long. And that was just the tech he knew about. The program had moved on since he'd stepped back.

"Aren't there supposed to be two of them?"

He sat up abruptly, working through the surge of nausea, but unable to suppress a gasp of pain. "Jack!" He looked around the small, dim room and saw nothing other than the cot he was laying on and the three strangers. The taller man stepped closer and rested a hand on Daniel's shoulder to steady him.

"You're the only one we've found so far."

That was Hardison, the technophile, Daniel noted, even as he tried to push to a standing position. "Damn it, Jack," he muttered. He sagged back to the cot when the room started spinning.

"Don't worry. We'll find him."

Daniel smiled weakly. "And you would be ...?" He was pretty sure they weren't SGC. Granted, he wasn't up on the newest personnel that had been assigned, but there was something about the way they carried themselves that was distinctly unmilitary. Except maybe for Eliot (aka Mr. Punchy), who was hanging back and not saying much. His eyes kept scanning the room, and he was obviously splitting his attention between their conversation and listening for sounds in the hallway.

The blonde spoke from where she was still crouched on the floor. "I'm Parker, that's Eliot, and he's Hardison.

"We're here to rescue you."

Eliot groaned, but Hardison returned her grin. "Nice one, mama."

"Seriously, can't we get through one job without a Trek Wars quote-a-thon?"

"Hey," Hardison pointed at Eliot. "Show some respect."

Eliot glared at Hardison, but there was a flash of a grin before he turned an assessing look to Daniel.

"You think you can walk?"

"I can. But I'm not leaving Jack behind." Passing out had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he had no clue where Jack was or how long he'd been on his own with their captors.

"Don't worry. We were sent in to get both of you; we're getting both of you." He glanced back toward the door. "I'll go scout out the area, see if I can figure out where your friend is being held, once Parker unlocks the door."

She scoffed. "I opened it like three minutes ago."

Eliot slipped out of the room with a grin and an admonition to lock it up behind him. Daniel shifted to a slightly more comfortable position and looked at the other two. Not exactly the kind of people he would expect on a retrieval team. Then again, anyone looking at him all those years ago would have said the same thing.

"So, do you guys do this kind of thing often?"

"Nah, man. This is more of a favor for a friend of a friend of Eliot's."

Daniel nodded. "Good friend."

Parker shushed them, staring at the door. "Someone's coming."

In seconds, Hardison had faded back into a shadowed corner, and Parker had folded herself into the narrow space between Daniel's cot and the wall. He stretched out on the cot, eyes open just enough to see the door open.

He could make out the silhouette of several figures framed against the light from the hallway before someone was shoved into the room with a grunt, the door slamming closed behind him almost immediately.

Jack regained his balance, his eyes zeroing in on Daniel instantly. He took a step toward the cot, then stilled, noting the room's other occupants.

"I thought this was a private room," he remarked as they slid out of their hiding places. His voice was scratchy and the normally barely-there limp was pronounced as he swung around to face them.

Hardison took a step away from Jack's threatening stance. Parker gave him an unconcerned half-smile and took a spot on the cot next to Daniel's feet.

"Daniel, only you could go into an empty, locked room and make friends."

Daniel shrugged. "Well, you know how it is."

"Gonna introduce us?"

Daniel sat up carefully as he answered. "These two are Parker and Hardison. There's a third party crasher, Eliot, who's, uh, around somewhere. They're here to rescue me ... Us?" Parker nodded in confirmation. "Us," Daniel finished firmly.

"Sweet. A convenient rescue, followed by umpteen hours of debriefing the civilians who managed to break into a Trust facility. Hope you folks don't have any pressing plans anytime soon."

"What?" Parker sat up straight. "What are you talking about? What's he talking about?" She jumped to her feet and started pacing. "Eliot said ... "

Hardison stilled her with a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be okay. Promise."

A tap on the door announced Eliot's return. Parker let him in, her fingers moving nimbly around the lock, her eyes fixed on Jack with a mistrustful stare. Eliot slipped in.

"Okay, we got ... " He stopped when he noticed Jack, automatically assuming a military posture. "Colonel Jack O'Neill."

"General now, actually." He looked at Eliot thoughtfully. "Spencer, right? You were on the joint task force in ..."

"Yes sir.

A shadow crossed Jack's face, fading quickly as he nodded. "You still serving?"

Eliot looked at Parker and Hardison. "In a different way, but yes, sir, I am."

"Understood." Jack relaxed, as much as it ever did when being held prisoner. "So, you got a way out?"

Eliot nodded. "We should be clear to the exit, if we go now."

"Well, as much fun as this has been, I'm ready to head out. What do you think, Daniel?"

Daniel staggered when he stood, and Parker and Hardison moved in smoothly to flank him. He thought about protesting, but a sudden wave of dizziness suppressed that urge. He nodded at the door. "Let's go."

Jack watched him with concern, but stayed back. Without discussion, he dropped behind them while Eliot took point.

Around the first corner, they found two guards sprawled unconscious on the floor.

"Your work?" Jack inquired. Eliot gave a terse nod.

As they passed them, Jack quickly grabbed the two Zats a few feet away from the bodies. He handed one to Daniel.

"Aw man, are those ray guns? Really?!" Hardison whispered.

Eliot aped Hardison's excited expression. "Ray guns. Yay!" He slapped Hardison's hand down from where he was reaching for one of the devices. "You do _not_ want to mess with these things. They're ..." He shook his head.

"Saw 'em in action, huh?" Jack asked.

He glanced at one of the guards and shrugged. "Their aim maybe wasn't as good as they thought it was." He gave Jack and Daniel both a pointed look. "Never seen a guy drop like that."

A pulsing, shrill sound filled the hallway. "Well, cat's out of the bag now," Jack remarked. "Let's move."

As a unit, they set off. After several turns, Parker froze, "Stop. Something's ..." Her eyes scanned the empty corridor. She reached a hand out slowly. There was a static hiss, and she jerked her hand back, cradling it against her chest.

"A force field?" Hardison sounded equal parts amazed and concerned, as he carefully uncurled her hand to look at the injury.

"That's cheating!" she declared, shaking her hand out and flexing her fingers. She glared at the unseen wall.

"They're trying to pin us in," Eliot growled. "Can we take these things down?"

Daniel sighed. "Not from here. We need to find an interface to the system."

"Follow me," Parked instructed. "I saw a control room on the map."

They headed back the way they came, diverting just before they reached the room Daniel had been held in. They had the good luck not to run into another force field or any guards before reaching a door that looked just like every other door in the corridors. Parker made quick work of the lock, and they crowded into the room.

Daniel headed straight to the most familiar looking control panel and called Hardison over. "You should be able to access the systems from here." He crossed his fingers, wishing Sam was there.

Hardison tapped a few buttons. "Uh, yeah, just give me a ... "

Jack looked at Hardison, who was staring helplessly at the panel. "Can you do it?"

"He can do it," Eliot answered. "C'mon man, just plug the thing in and let's go."

Hardison shook his head.

Eliot huffed. "What's wrong?"

"'What's wrong', Eliot? Have you been paying attention? Look at it. This stuff is alien. A-li-en. Can't hack it."

"Alien you say?" Jack taunted.

Hardison's eyes widened. "Did I say alien? Naw, why would I say that? I don't know anything about anything that could get me put in the places I really don't care to think about."

"Jack, shut up," Daniel warned. Regardless of what they confirmed or not, these three were in for a hell of a debrief. "Okay, yes it is alien technology, but it was programmed and installed by the people running this facility, by humans. I can get you started, but the technical stuff, that's up to you."

Parker sidled up to Hardison's side and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. "Galaxy of the geek," she whispered.

Hardison's face lit up, and he nodded firmly. "Let's do this."

Daniel grinned. "Let's." He started a quick summary of the various input buttons on the panel in front of them, heartened by the way that Hardison seemed to grasp the basics instinctively, once he knew what he was looking at. He thought that they might actually get out of this.

"We need to disable the dampening field," Jack ordered.

"Jack, we don't have a whole lot of time before they find us. He should work on the force field. We've just got to get out of here and make a run for it."

Eliot shook his head. "This place is surrounded by an open field. No cover at all. They know you're out; they're gonna be watching it."

"Not a problem, as long as our people can just get a lock on us," Jack said.

The incision on Daniel's arm suddenly made a lot more sense. "Jack, they removed our locator chips. Even if he can get the field down, even if the SGC knows where we are, the chances of them finding us in this entire complex are infinitesimal."

"Trust me, Daniel."

Before Daniel could argue, the door opened. They looked over to see a guard who looked more surprised to see them than they were to see him. The man managed to give a strangled shout before Eliot tackled him.

"Showtime folks," Jack announced, as voices and heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway. He pulled one of the zats from his pocket and offered it to Eliot. "One hit stuns, two hits kill."

Eliot shook his head. "Just hope your aim is better than theirs," he advised as he slipped out of the room and charged into the oncoming guards.

Jack shrugged and took a position just outside the door.

Daniel looked back to where Hardison was frowning at the monitor. "Just ignore everything else. We need to find the program that controls the dampening field."

Hardison scoffed. "Sure, just ignore the men who want to kill us, and the ray guns, and the disappearing people."

Daniel smiled wanly. The commotion outside was barely registering with him; its only significance that if it was still going on, Jack was probably still alive. "It gets easier with time."

"That's not it. That's not it." Hardison was scanning the list of programs he had found. "Where are you hid - Oh!" Hardison looked between Daniel and the monitor. "Oh, oh. Don't need the program, if I can just shut off the power." He selected a file and started reading through the code, Daniel watching over his shoulder.

Jack's shout of warning came through the door at the same time another guard did. Before Daniel could get a good look at her, she crumpled to the ground. Across the room, Parker held a zat, looking very pleased with herself.

"How the hell did you get that?"

"Don't even ask anymore," Hardison muttered.

Daniel held his hand out. Parker hugged the zat close. "I like it," she said simply.

"You can't keep it," Daniel and Hardison said at the same time.

She pouted, but handed the device to Daniel.

"Field's down," Hardison yelled, pumping his fist in the air. A moment later, all the lights went out. "And uh, a lot of other stuff that runs on electricity."

Jack and Eliot backed into the room.

"We're clear for a few minutes."

Faint footsteps sounded in the hallway, the echoes muddling any approximation of how far away they were.

"So now what?" Daniel asked.

"Everyone stay close to me and Daniel. Keep a hand on us, if at all possible."

The group huddled together, Parker's jittery movements felt by all of them. "Doesn't feel right, just standing here. Why are we just standing here?"

"Waiting on a friend of mine." Jack looked upward and whispered, "C'mon, Carter."

Daniel cocked his head. "Sam?"

"Yep. Any minute, now."

"'Any minute now,' what?" Hardison asked sharply. "Any minute now, we get our asses captured? 'Cause I don't think I'd really -"

A wash of hazy bright light, the familiar fuzzy feeling of an Asgard transporter and then they were on the bridge of The Hammond. With the recognition of safety, Daniel suddenly felt all the pain and fatigue he'd been pushing down surge back up. He leaned into Jack's side, but mustered up a genuine smile for Sam as she walked toward them.

"Hey Sam," he murmured.

"Hey Daniel," she replied softly before giving Jack an exasperated look. "You know, General, this wasn't what I had in mind for a practical test for the new transporter locator."

"Needs must, Carter."

"Well, I'm glad it worked, Sir. Although, if it hadn't, I'm pretty sure Teal'c is already assembling a Jaffa task force to come get you."

"Yes, well, we should probably put a stop to that. We've got enough paperwork as it is." He cut his eyes over to the other three, looking around the bridge with varying shades of awe, assessment, and larcenous intent.

"Speaking of ... " Sam gestured to a couple of SFs casually standing guard over the unexpected visitors. "We'd like to get you three settled someplace more comfortable while you wait. Maybe some food?"

Parker tensed, ready to run, but Hardison put his arm around her waist at the same time that Eliot grabbed her shoulder.

"Yeah, Parker, I'm pretty sure there is _nowhere_ to run this time." He pointed to a large monitor, clearly displaying the Earth stark against a sea of stars.

"We've got you." Hardison murmured to her softly, even as his eyes widened at the image. His expression hardened as he looked at Sam. "Your people came to us with this, so don't even think -"

"That true?" Jack asked with a sigh.

"Yes, Sir. I think we can now say it's confirmed that The Trust is rebuilding itself. And that it has a pretty good foothold in Homeworld Security." She frowned. "I was actually ordered to leave the solar system about six hours ago."

"Sam? You could be court-martialed," Daniel protested.

"I'll survive," she answered. "There was no way I was leaving you two in their hands, no matter what."

"Maybe we shouldn't put the kibosh on Teal'c's plan just yet," Jack mused.

"Sounds like yall got plenty of stuff to work out," Eliot cut in. "But the point stands that when we were asked to do this, we were given certain assurances. If you're changing the play now..." He shifted his weight, eyes scanning easily over everyone nearby. Across the bridge, the tension ratcheted up a notch.

"You're not under arrest," Daniel quickly assured him. "Right Jack? Sam?"

"Daniel's right. We just need to have a little chat." The three did not look too thrilled, but relaxed out of imminent threat mode. At a nod from Sam, the rest of the Hammond's crew also settled.

"But first, we need to get Daniel to the infirmary." Daniel groaned, but Jack just smirked at him. "Betcha thought I'd forgotten you were beaten all to hell and back, huh?"

"And I'm sure you were enjoying a spa treatment and tea after I left the party?"

"All right," Sam cut in. "Both of you are going to the infirmary."

Jack raised an eyebrow but she held her ground. "My ship, General," she said with a barely contained smirk.

He held her eyes for a second more before giving in. "Fraiser would be proud," he grumbled before gently guiding Daniel away from the small crowd and off the bridge.

Jack stopped about halfway there. After a cursory look to make sure they were alone, he pulled Daniel close, his lips brushing against his cheek. Daniel wound his arms around Jack's waist, feeling the tension in his muscles, the hitch in his breath. It was harder this time - now that they were a few years removed from the peril that had marked so much of their tenure with the SGC that they had become inured to its effects - harder to delay their reactions, to hide the adrenaline letdown and the fear and the primal need to make sure the other was really all right.

"It's okay," Daniel murmured. "It's over now."

Jack lightly swept his arms down Daniel's arms, his back, unerringly skipping the damaged ribs, coming to rest against his cheeks - a gentle physical confirmation that there were no surprise injuries, nothing Jack hadn't already seen and catalogued. He rested his head against Daniel's, his eyes closed.

"I couldn't stop them."

"I know."

"I never wanted to see you like that again."

Daniel pulled Jack closer, ignoring the small points of pain. He wished they were home already, curled up together in their bed at the cabin, where this could be just a cloudy memory that paled in the light of day.

"I never wanted to see you like that, period," he said softly. "But all told ... Look at us, we're both upright. That's a hell of a lot better than some missions."

Jack huffed an unwilling chuckle, but opened his eyes and nodded.

"So, let's go get taped and bandaged and whatever other hoops medical wants us to jump through today, deal with those three, and get the hell back home."

Jack kept his hands on Daniel for a minute, before drawing in a deep breath and straightening up. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Their exams revealed no surprises. It was while they were waiting for the results of Daniel's chest x-ray (he told the doctor that his ribs weren't broken, but they never listened anyway), that Daniel revisited the topic of their rescuers.

"You're _not_ going to hold them, though, right Jack?"

"Nah. If they are who I think they are, they're in no position to go public. Just need them to sign the papers. You know how much it upsets Davis when the paperwork is out of order." He hopped off the table and wandered around, looking for something to play with.

"Y'know ... We could try to recruit them."

Daniel shook his head. "No."

"Come on. Breaking into a Trust facility, beating alien/human hybrid tech on the fly ... They're good, Daniel."

"Oh, they're very good. No doubt about that. But they're not going to voluntarily sign onto an organization that will dictate rules and behavior. They like their freedom; they _need_ their freedom. It's what makes them as good as they are."

Jack sighed. "I hate it when you're right."

"I know." Daniel threw Jack his most self-satisfied grin.

"With the Trust resurfacing though, we're going to have to play a more active role again." He appropriated two latex gloves and started braiding the fingers together.

"Yeah, we were probably overly optimistic that we could get out completely."

Jack examined his work, then threw the gloves down on the counter. "Those guys would be a big help."

"I'm not saying don't use them if they're willing. Just … keep it off-book."

"This whole damn thing is going to have to be off-book. You, me, Davis, Carter, Mitchell - that's about the sum total of people on Earth I know I can trust." He leaned against the exam table and slid a hand over Daniel's, lacing their fingers together. "We could always just relocate. I hear Chulak's beautiful this time of year."

Daniel lifted their hands and brushed a kiss across Jack's knuckles. "You'd never be happy sitting on the sidelines, not knowing what was going on here. It's just not in you."

"Foiled again."

"By your own better nature."

***SGC***

The Leverage team (or sub-team, Daniel wasn't really sure) stared at the weighty stack of paperwork arranged in front of each of them. Eliot picked up a pen and started signing and initialing next to all the little flags. Hardison flipped through some pages, stopping to read occasionally, shaking his hand and moving on again.

He looked up with a frown. "This whole thing basically boils down to us promising not to say anything about all this, right?"

"Right," Jack confirmed.

"And we really need ..." he lifted the papers till he could see the last page " ... 117 pages to say that?"

"I'd be happy to take your word for it, but you wouldn't believe the number of politicians involved in creating this. Each one had their own list of i's to dot and t's to cross."

"Just sign it, so we can get the hell outta here." Eliot flipped a pen at Hardison, who it caught it mid-air.

Parker stared at hers suspiciously. "And what happens if we do tell someone?"

"Actually, we rarely have to get involved. When people have tried before, they tend to ... "

"Everyone thinks they're nuts," Jack finished, ignoring Daniel's exasperated huff.

Hardison dropped his pen, his eyes and mouth open wide. "Alec Coulson! He was telling the truth, when he ... and the little alien dude -"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there, at the risk of adding another couple reams of paper to your NDAs."

"Who's Alec Coulson?" Parker entirely failed to whisper to Hardison, who shushed her and pushed a pen into her hand.

For the next few minutes, there was only the sound of pages turning and pens scratching signatures.

Once they had finished, Jack collected the agreements.

"So, we're free to go?" Eliot asked.

"Yeah, sure, youbetcha. Just wanted to mention first that you were all pretty impressive today. Not a lot of people could get in and out of a place like that. And we're likely to -"

Parker stood abruptly. "No. You can't have them."

Daniel frowned. "Well, he was actually talking about all of you. As a team."

Eliot shook his head. "I already told Vance more than once that I ain't comin' back."

"This is important work, Spencer."

"So's what we do."

"Which is why," Daniel intervened, putting his hands up appeasingly, "we don't want to interfere with what you do." He gave Jack a pointed look.

Jack huffed, but nodded. "Unofficial consultants. Help us out every now and then, if you're available."

The three of them looked at each other. Parker grinned. "I really liked that ray gun. Bzzzt! Better than a taser."

"And I wouldn't say no to another chance at looking at some of that tech," Hardison offered.

Eliot rolled his eyes. "I guess we're in."

"Sweet. Well, in that case, let's get you on your way. Daniel and I are taking an extended vacation, so you don't have to worry about hearing from us immediately. Go, have fun, do ... whatever it is you guys do."

They led the trio through the ship.

"Extended vacation, Jack?"

"I'd say we've earned a little R&R. And maybe a little out-of-the-way planning wouldn't be amiss either."

As they neared the transporter, where Sam was waiting to personally oversee their return directly to Leverage HQ, Parker turned to Jack.

"So, can I take one of the ray guns home with me?"


End file.
